A Reason to Live
by Halfagod
Summary: Her world is collapsing around her, but he gives her the hope she needs to keep on going. One-shot, fall of Wall Maria.


**I had this oneshot idea in my head for awhile. Hopefully, it'll achieve the effect I'm trying to create. Please enjoy~**

 **Disclaimer: If only I owned SnK... I'd be able to make the plot go wherever I'd want. Now how cool would that be.**

The air was thick and palpable, the suffocating feeling of pure fear spreading through the ranks like a wildfire. Mangled bodies strewn precariously across the crumpling foundations of beloved homes painted the ground with a crimson hue. The screams of mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters pierced the crying sky as they were forced to watch as their beloved ones were torn up from limb to limb right before them.

A world of relative peace, ripped apart by the titans _._ Towering predators that happily consumed human flesh, ironically resembling the people they snacked on. The bane of human existence, throwing the notion of tranquility into the wind as this new era unfolded. And this time, humans were no longer protected by the wall.

A small child, only around 10 years of age, stared forward with blank, unseeing eyes. She clutched her doll close to her heart, the only solace in this otherwise dark existence. She was an orphan now, her entire family was… _gone._ Crowds of crying, shouting people flowed around her tiny bubble of space. Where was she? What was happening?

Blood-curdling screams erupted from all around as the tail end of the mob was chomped down in one fell swoop. The rest of the masses stopped in sync, watching the rapidly approaching monsters in unbridled horror, before resuming their rough shoving with renewed effort.

There was no use in trying anymore. What was the point? The titans were too strong, too powerful; no-one was safe from their greedy clutches. Humanity was a lost cause. They should all just accept their fate instead of making it harder for themselves.

As a creepily grinning titan plucked her up from the ground, she closed her eyes, hugging her precious doll to her chest. The fleshy creature held her up high, prepared to drop her into the confines of its mouth. This was it. Exhaling slowly, she welcomed the arms of Death as the titan released her.

Yet, for some unknown reason, she was not being crunched up into chunks of flesh and bone, nor was she a bloody mess plastered to the ground. The biting sting of wind on her cheeks caused her to curiously crack an eye open.

Disbelieving hazel eyes stared into cold grey, before shifting to the dead titan on the ground. A puddle of brilliant scarlet began to pool beneath the gruesome giant, still smiling eerily even after its demise. She began to struggle, trying to remove herself from the clutches of her _saviour_.

"Stop that, brat. I'm going to drop you if you keep moving around like that." He gracefully spun away from the rapacious grasp of a bearded titan. The creature moaned before it diverted its attention back to the crowd of people frantically pushing against each other.

"Kill me."

A muted thud was the only evidence of his landing on the top of Wall Rose. She was dumped unceremoniously from his arms onto the cold marble, her doll falling lifelessly beside her. Tortured, guttural wails rose up from every direction while she curled up into the smallest ball she could. Why was she still alive, when her family had been devoured to appease the insatiable hunger of the titans?

A leather boot entered the corner of her vision, viciously nudging her side.

She looked up from beneath her hazel brown fringe. "Kill me, or go away."

The man heaved her up by her collar, blue-grey eyes narrowed into thin slits. "What's your problem," he growled. "I save your life and you ask for me to kill you?"

"I don't deserve to live. I didn't ask for you to _save_ me. Since you're so against relieving me of this useless world, just go."

"Tch. Ungrateful brat."

An ugly sneer crossed her young features, but before she could bitterly retort, the soldier cut her off. "Listen, kid. I don't have the time or patience to deal with you now. The titans are tearing up the district, and I need to get back to my team. However, before I leave, I must say this. It's easy to give up, to surrender all hope, especially when dealing with loss. Yet, who do you think will win if we threw away our hope?"

He took a deep breath, turning away to watch the extensive destruction being dealt out on the city. "The titans have always been mankind's greatest enemy. They've already torn apart so many buildings and families today. Millions will suffer, and even more will be killed. I'm not going to sugar-coat anything. Many of my allies have perished in battle, and many more will join them in the afterlife."

The girl quietly sniffled at the stoic figure perching precariously on the edge of the roof. "Why then, why do you do it," she whispered.

"To provide hope to the citizens, to defend our homes, to keep mankind _alive._ We do it because we must, and because no-one else will. The Survey Corps is what stands between the titans and humanity's destruction. In other words… we truly are humanity's last hope."

Another ear-splitting shriek slashed through the air. The soldier stood with his back to her.

"I need to go. Goodbye, brat."

"Wait!" she shouted, wobbling as she stood up. She needed to know more about this soldier who risked his own life to rescue her. The same soldier who was voluntarily heading back into chaos and death. "Tell me your name."

"Levi." With a graceful leap, he shot away, spinning and whirling around tall buildings and fleshy obstacles.

The girl stared after him in astonishment, blinking a few times. _Levi,_ she rolled the name around her tongue and decided that it suited him. _Thank you, Levi._


End file.
